# Parallel pricing: $1 to $5 per 1,000 searches, and $1 on SpecStream Compared on Nov 12, 2026. The page: https://specstream.ai/parallel-pricing Parallel's Search API costs $1 per 1,000 requests in `turbo` and `fast` mode and $5 in `basic` and `advanced`, and a request with no mode runs `advanced`. Results past the first 10 cost $1 per 1,000, and Extract costs $1 per 1,000 URLs. SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. It answers Parallel's own `/v1/search` call at $1 per 1,000 searches in `turbo`, `fast` and `basic` mode, reads pages at $0.80 per 1,000 and delivers datasets at 5¢ to $1 a row. [Get an API key](https://specstream.ai/signup?src=alternatives-parallel-pricing&utm_source=alternatives-md&utm_campaign=parallel-pricing&returnTo=%2Fworkspace%2Fsearch%3Froute%3Dparallel) New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. It covers 10,000 searches. ## Every Parallel API price, and what SpecStream charges for the same job | | SpecStream | Parallel | |---|---|---| | Web search, per 1,000 calls | $1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results on Parallel's own call, `https://api.specstream.ai/parallel/v1/search`, in `turbo`, `fast` and `basic` mode. $5 in `advanced` | $1 per 1,000 requests in `turbo` and `fast`, $5 in `basic` and `advanced`. A request with no `mode` runs `advanced`, at $5 | | More than 10 results | Up to 100 a call. 11 to 20 results cost $0.0022 in `fast`, and each started block of 10 more adds $0.0012 | $1 per 1,000 results beyond the first 10, so 20 results cost $0.011 in `fast` and $0.015 in `advanced`. Public modes cap results at 20 | | Page text | `basic` reads each page and returns up to about 3,500 characters of it in the $0.001 search. The Extract API reads up to 20 URLs a call at $0.80 per 1,000 pages, and a page with no text is not charged | Extract API $1 per 1,000 URLs. Excerpt length does not change the search price | | A cited answer | $5 per 1,000 searches. The reply carries `answer` with its `page` and read time, `rows` with the facts asked for, and the results read | Responses API per 1,000 successful requests: $10 on `low`, $50 on `medium`, the default, and $250 on `high`. Decisions API $1 per 1,000 requests of up to 100 questions | | Research and lists | Deep Search: every match on the live web as a row, with a source URL and read time on every value, at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a delivered row. No fee per run, and the most a run can cost is quoted before it starts | Task API $5 (`lite`) to $2,400 (`ultra8x`) per 1,000 successful runs. FindAll $0.25 a run plus $0.03 a match on `base`, $10 a run plus $1 a match on `pro`, with enrichments billed per match on top | | Watching for change | A saved request reruns hourly to yearly. Each row comes back labeled changed, unchanged or no longer matching. A changed or new row costs half its rate, an unchanged row 1¢ | Monitor API $3 (`lite`) or $10 (`base`) per 1,000 checks. Each execution counts as one check | | Free use | $10 of credit on a new account, no card: 10,000 searches through Parallel's call, 2,000 with the answer, or 12,500 pages | $5 free monthly with a card on file, plus up to $80 at signup. A free Search MCP with variable limits, enough for personal use | | Plans | The same rate from the first search, with no plan to buy. Credit you buy never expires | Build is pay as you go. Scale is $1,000 a month for $1,000 in credits, or $10,000 a year for $12,000. Unused monthly credits expire at the end of each paid month | | Speed limit | No limit per key and no daily limit. A busy call answers `429` with `Retry-After` and is not charged | Search and Extract: 600 requests a minute on Build, 1,500 on Scale, excluding Turbo | | Zero data retention | On any API key: set `zero_retention` and a search keeps no request text and no answer after the reply | On Scale as Hybrid ZDR once a signed agreement is in place, and on Enterprise by contract | ## What the Parallel price list means for your bill ### The default mode is the $5 mode Parallel's headline price is $1 per 1,000 requests, but a request that sets no `mode` runs `advanced` at $5. At 100,000 searches a month that is $500. `basic` mode costs the same $500 on Parallel, and $100 on SpecStream through the same call, with each page read. Ask for 20 results and Parallel adds $1 per 1,000 results past the first 10: $0.011 a call in `fast`, $1,100 for 100,000 searches. On SpecStream the same 20 results cost $0.0022 a call, $220 a month. ### Pages at $0.80 per 1,000 Parallel's Extract API costs $1 per 1,000 URLs. The SpecStream Extract API costs $0.80 per 1,000 pages, reads up to 20 URLs a call, and charges nothing for a page that is blocked, missing or empty. A million pages cost $800, against $1,000. ### Rows billed when delivered, with no run fee Parallel bills FindAll with a fixed fee per run plus a charge per match, and adds each enrichment's Task API price per match. A run that finds little still pays its fee. [Deep Search](https://specstream.ai/deep-search?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=parallel-pricing) bills only delivered rows, at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 each, plus 5¢ for a person's email and 15¢ for a phone. Duplicates and rows a page contradicts are not charged, a run that finds nothing costs nothing, and nothing runs until you approve its maximum. ### The most accurate web search API The SpecStream Search API scores 97.9 F-score on all 1,000 official SimpleQA Verified questions, 978 of them correct, and 64.0 item F1 and 43.4 row F1 on all 200 official WideSearch tasks. Every score and its method are on the [benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=parallel-pricing) page. ## Other search API prices next to Parallel ### SpecStream The live web data engine for teams and agents. The Search API costs $1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results on the fast tier and every drop-in address, and $5 with the answer. The Extract API reads pages at $0.80 per 1,000, and Deep Search delivers full datasets at 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a row. New accounts get $10 of credit, no card. ### Brave Search API A search API on Brave's own index, sold as prepaid credits. The Search plan costs $5 per 1,000 requests with $5 in free credits every month. SpecStream answers Brave's own call at $1 per 1,000. ### Exa Search costs $4 per 1,000 requests on `lite` and $7 on `auto` and `fast`, and page contents cost $1 per 1,000 pages. SpecStream answers Exa's own call at $1 per 1,000 and reads pages at $0.80 per 1,000. ### Tavily Pay as you go is $0.008 per credit. A basic search costs 1 credit and an advanced search 2, so 1,000 searches cost $8 to $16, with 1,000 free credits every month. SpecStream answers Tavily's own call at $1 per 1,000. ### You.com Web Search costs $5 per 1,000 calls, and the Contents API $1 per 1,000 pages. SpecStream answers You.com's own call at $1 per 1,000 searches. ## How to move your Parallel calls to SpecStream Change one line. `https://api.specstream.ai/parallel/v1/search` answers the call your code sends to `https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search` today, in Parallel's JSON, so your parser stays as it is. Send a SpecStream key in `x-api-key`. Each call of up to 10 results costs $0.001 in `turbo`, `fast` and `basic` mode. ``` # Before curl -s https://api.parallel.ai/v1/search \ -H "x-api-key: $VENDOR_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"search_queries": ["Mistral AI founders"], "mode": "fast"}' # After curl -s https://api.specstream.ai/parallel/v1/search \ -H "x-api-key: $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"search_queries": ["Mistral AI founders"], "mode": "fast"}' ``` In the `parallel-web` SDK, set `base_url="https://api.specstream.ai/parallel"`. `search_queries`, `objective`, `mode`, `max_chars_total`, `session_id` and `advanced_settings` work as before, and the reply keeps `results[]` with `url`, `title`, `publish_date` and `excerpts`. Every field is in the [Parallel migration guide](https://specstream.ai/migrate/parallel?utm_source=alternatives&utm_campaign=parallel-pricing). For the answer in place of the Responses API, call SpecStream's own Search API at $5 per 1,000: `GET https://api.specstream.ai/v1/web-search` with `Authorization: Bearer `, and the question in `q` in everyday words. ``` curl -G https://api.specstream.ai/v1/web-search \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPECSTREAM_API_KEY" \ --data-urlencode "q=Who leads engineering at Mistral AI, and when did they join?" \ --data-urlencode "passages=true" ``` On MCP, your agent calls `search_web` with `{"q": ...}` and `read_pages` with `{"urls": [...]}` at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp`. The SDKs call it `web_search(q=...)` in Python and `webSearch({ q })` in TypeScript. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does Parallel cost? Search costs $1 to $5 per 1,000 requests by mode, with $1 per 1,000 results past the first 10. Extract and Decisions cost $1 per 1,000, Task $5 to $2,400 per 1,000 runs, Responses $10 to $250 per 1,000 requests and Monitor $3 to $10 per 1,000 checks. FindAll is a fee per run plus a charge per match. ### How much does the Parallel Search API cost per request? $0.001 in `turbo` and `fast` mode and $0.005 in `basic` and `advanced`, for 10 results. A request with no `mode` runs `advanced`, so it costs $0.005. On SpecStream, Parallel's own call costs $0.001 in every mode but `advanced`. ### Is Parallel free? Parallel gives $5 free monthly with a card on file, plus up to $80 at signup, and a free hosted Search MCP for personal use. SpecStream gives a new account $10 of credit with no card, which covers 10,000 searches. ### What does Parallel's Scale plan cost? $1,000 a month for $1,000 in credits at standard API rates, or $10,000 a year for $12,000 in credits. Unused monthly credits expire at the end of each paid month. SpecStream has no plan to buy, and credit never expires. ### Is there a cheaper alternative to the Parallel Search API? Yes. SpecStream answers Parallel's own `/v1/search` call at $1 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results in `basic` mode, a fifth of Parallel's $5, and 20 results cost $0.0022 against $0.011. The change is the base address and the key in `x-api-key`. ### How much does Parallel FindAll cost? $0.25 a run plus $0.03 a match on `base`, $2 plus $0.15 on `core` and $10 plus $1 on `pro`, with enrichments billed per match. SpecStream Deep Search charges 5¢, 15¢ or $1 a delivered row, with no fee per run. ### Does SpecStream have an API and an MCP server? Yes. The Search API is `GET https://api.specstream.ai/v1/web-search` at $5 per 1,000 searches, or $1 with `speed=fast`, and the MCP server is at `https://api.specstream.ai/mcp` over Streamable HTTP, with OAuth or an API key. ## Sources SpecStream wrote this page. Each Parallel price comes from Parallel's own pricing page and pricing docs, read on Nov 12, 2026. - [SpecStream pricing](https://specstream.ai/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026 - [SpecStream for agents](https://specstream.ai/agents.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [SpecStream benchmarks](https://specstream.ai/benchmarks), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Parallel pricing](https://parallel.ai/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Parallel pricing docs](https://docs.parallel.ai/getting-started/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Parallel search modes](https://docs.parallel.ai/search/modes), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Parallel advanced search settings](https://docs.parallel.ai/search/advanced-search-settings), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api/), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Exa pricing](https://exa.ai/docs/admin/pricing.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [Tavily credits](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits.md), read Nov 12, 2026 - [You.com pricing](https://you.com/pricing), read Nov 12, 2026